The Altra One 2.5 has great performance characteristics. As for the outsole, it is one of the rare that contain a zero drop platform that makes your ride natural and supported. It is allowing the foot its natural foot strike and the cushioning will definitely make you pick up the pace. What makes the ride natural with the zero drop platform is that the height of cushioning below your heel and the cushioning below your toes are exactly the same.

This is excellent if you are a forefoot or a mid-foot runner since the support you would get on your impact is incomparable to any other type of shoe. If you are a heel striker on the other side, running with these Altra shoes would be a bit less comfortable since they tend to keep you on your forefoot. Although this is very good for the performance of the forefoot strikers, heel runners might have an issue.

Nevertheless, you should be careful if this is your first zero drop running shoes since there is a difference in the feeling in the calves while you are running and if you are not used to it, it might cause you some issues. So you should take your time and pay attention to your body movement if you are not used to the platform. After a while though, these would be the only shoes that you would like to wear while running the marathon or for your morning run.

The Altra One 2.5 offers great cushioning with great foam density which makes the midsole a bit firmer. However, this also provides stability in the stepping and a great responsiveness.

Even though most of the upper shoe is quite comfortable, there are some issues that Altra needs to be working on. The tongue has a bit out of the ordinary design, meaning it is not meant for wider feet. If you have wide feet, the tongue is not wide enough to cover the whole upper part of your foot, so your socks might show up a little.

Truth be told, this would only happen if you have a bit chubby feet. Another remark about the tongue is that it is a bit thinner than other competitive runner shoes models. If you are used to tightening them every time you are running, you might feel the laces on your upper foot. This could be avoided by wearing thicker socks or simply tightening the laces regularly. Although this is not a concern for most people, it is an important feature to mention.

The laces are a bit long, which might mind some runners. However, this is something I definitely appreciate about these shoes since it gives you a possibility of locking them and tightening them really well. When the laces are too short, there is a greater possibility that they will release and that is never a pleasant experience. The design of the lacing is also asymmetrical and this gives a great feeling of your foot being stable and tight inside the shoe, even if you don’t tighten the laces too much. This is accomplished by the lacing system following the shape of your foot instead of being placed symmetrical and a bit more stylish.

The Altra One 2.5 running shoes are among the most lightweight shoes on the market. Every material and technology that is being used in the manufacturing process is contributing to the lightness of the shoes. Their inner flex system integrated in the midsole is making the shoe extremely flexible and lightweight.

The outsole is constructed with a blown rubber that also cuts weight and increases their responsiveness. Besides improving the breathability of the shoes, the Quick Dry Air Mesh system is also making the upper part of the shoes very lightweight. All this contributes to building a great pair of lightweight shoes that will help you go faster than ever and improve your performance results.

The breathability of these running shoes is very good and you wouldn’t have to worry if your socks are going to drain when running through a muddy or wet area. In fact, they have one of the best breathability systems I have encountered with. This also means that if you are long distance runner, you don’t have to worry about your feet getting sweaty and uncomfortable.

The technology that Altra is using in the production of these running shoes is Quick Dry Air Mesh, which has an excellent moisture management system. It wicks the sweat or water from the inside of your shoe, and it is directing it towards the upper layers of the shoe where it can evaporate.

These Altra One 2.5 for women are extremely comfortable running shoes. They owe their comfort to the foot shape toe box which is specifically designed according to the shape of your foot. Regular running shoes are directing the toe towards the outside of the foot and this is causing you to change the entire body posture.

When you distort your natural body posture, your body is moving differently and as a result you might have some knee or other joint issues. The Altra one shoes are allowing your foot to stay in its natural position, therefore, your body is maintaining its posture and your run is pain free. Furthermore, when you put these running shoes on, you have a feeling as they are made specifically for your foot.

What gives these shoes their great performance and comfort, is also decreasing their style grade. Although they have some indeed stunning features, their style and design is not one of them. In fact, it is safe to say that they are made for running, not looking good while doing so. Their Foot Shape toe box gives you a great stability while running, but it is also making the shoes look kind of strange.

Although Altra promotes them as highly durable shoes, the durability itself might be an issue. Because of the soft material used for the outsole and the lack of another protective layer, they seem to wear off quicker than competitive models.

This means that before purchasing them you should be aware that you are buying high quality runner shoes that will last you a bit shorter than your other runner shoes. It is positive though that what wears of first is the outsole which is not making a big difference at your foot strike at first.

Considering their weight and the soft upper mesh material, it is surprising that these Altras are offering some protection to your foot from sharp objects. However, an extra layer of protection is only applied to your toe, so other parts of your foot are not as protected.

If you are focusing on protection as a feature and you are looking for rocky terrain running shoes, the Altra women’s lone peak might be a better choice for you. The Altra One 2.5 are mostly considered road shoes, so they offer minimal protection, which is fine because they really aren't intended for off-road use.

The Zero drop support these running shoes are offering is something that once you get used to it, you will never want to switch to any other shoes.

They also offer removable insole that comes with the package which are excellent in order to get used to the traditional support that you might require at first. The arch support however, is minimal and they are best for people who don’t need additional arch support when running.

The Altra One 2.5 are made for road running and they are not suitable for trail running or even running on a road that has small rocks or uneven surface. The outsole doesn’t offer protection from sharp objects and there is also a considerable amount of space between squish pods.

If you are running on rocky road, trails or gravel it might get stuck in your shoe, which is not comfortable at all. Sufficient to say, they are perfect for road running, but for anything resembling a road, but it isn’t, you should probably wear some other shoes.

The price of these running shoes is quite affordable, when compared to other models from Altra. However, you should keep in mind that these might last you a bit less than the regular 700 miles running, so you should also consider this before purchasing. Nevertheless, considering the features you are getting, the middle range price is more than acceptable.

For better traction, these have a blown rubber that will also offer the runner a more responsive ride. Because of the large lugs on the outsole of the shoe, the traction control is good even in wet road trails. They do not work great though on sandy trails, but then, they weren’t designed for such purposes.

For additional flexibility, the Altra shoes are using inner flex grooves system. The shape of the shoe is also contributing to the flexibility since it is designed according to the natural foot construction and the outsole is designed to be flexible at all the right spots. All things considered, these are shoes with a lot of cushioning and highly flexible. This makes them good for marathon running as well as simply walking.

The stability these shoes are offering is not only to your foot, but to your whole body posture as well. They should be recommended as stability shoes since they are eliminating the pain in the feet completely. The wider toe box is offering you extra stability, greater comfort and relaxation of your toes. The ankle stability they are offering though is minimal, so if you have such issues, it is better to get some higher arch support running shoes that will deliver greater motion control.

The stack height of the Altra One shoes is the same at the heel as well as the forefoot. This gives you a feeling as if you are being pushed forward and it is increasing your running performance. This is known as a zero drop platform and it is allowing your foot to lend naturally parallel to the ground.

The zero drop platform is being considered better than the traditional shoes since running shoes without a raised heel has shown as being less injury prone and having lower impact force.

Keep in mind that there isn’t one best choice for running shoes on the market, but everyone has their own specific needs and requirements. Are you a runner who is biomechanically efficient or you need extra support in order to feel more stable? Or perhaps you have joint issues and you require specific stability shoes?

When purchasing running shoes you should take into consideration every characteristic about you. By looking at your personal physical characteristics you will know which features to focus on